Richard Gryko won a nice little pot pre-flop by making a cold bet four-bet to force folds from his two opponent's but soon after he gave all those gained chips and a few more right back to a grateful (though you wouldn't know it he so chilled) Huck Seed.
The two were heads-up to the turn after the flop was checked through and the board read . Seed check from UTG+1 then called a 1,450 bet which amounted to a third of his remaining stack. The river came and Gryko set his opponent all-in. Call.
Gryko could only muster but was behinf to Seed who flopped the nuts with . Seed back up to 10,000 and Gryko's slips a little to 26,000.
Richard Ashby is one of the first post-dinner-break casualties, the high stakes player getting involved in a pot which could have seriously dented erstwhile chip leader Samuel Stein, but instead merely propelled his stack to even giddier heights (57k).
On an flop, Ashby raised to 2,500 over Stein's 1,150 bet. A short pause, and then Stein re-raised to 6,850. A slightly longer pause before Ashby threw in three hundred and fifty, then slow-called the thousands he had to match just before the dealer stepped in to point out that he was a bit short.
The turn: Now Stein simply put down a chunk of 1k chips greater than the total of Ashby's remaining chips. He called, showing , but failed to improve against Stein's on the river. Another one down - expect action to speed up throughout the second half of the day.
The players are back for level 5 as we enter the second half of today's play. Current chip leader seems to be Eric Rabl after winning that monster pot shortly before dinner break.
This tournament is in serious danger of becoming much less easy on the eye for any female spectators - Fabrice Soulier is down to his last 2,400 with only one 4k lammer behind.
He raised to 350 under the gun and received two calls, one from Jussi Nevanlinna behind and one from John Racener in the big blind. They saw a flop and it checked around to Nevanlinna, who bet 600. Racener folded but Soulier raised; the two agreed to get all the chips in (Nevanlinna didn't have many) and they turned the cards over.
Soulier: for a variety of straight draws
Nevanlinna: for top two pair
Turn:
River:
The two pair stayed ahead, and the ladies may soon have to look for eye candy elsewhere.
What a large pot over on Table 20 just now, with multiway calling of a mid-position raise to 400 looking like it was going to create a family affair and a decent pot right there. But no, utg+1 limper Sorel Mizzi had other ideas, and when no fewer than six others had come in already he raised the pot (3,250). Back round the table we went, like a sort of expensive merry-go-round with everyone riding shortish stacks: first up the original raiser Eric Rabl called, then another two players tossed in the chips, leading to the button Ville Mattila who also went for a call. Small blind Ran Azor tossed his hands up in either supplication or frustration (his stack was around 4k in total) but rather than give this multiway pot a spin for his whole lot in an attempt to give it a rocket-fuelled boost, he passed, as did big blind Chance Kornuth.
So this means on a fiveway threebet-preflop board of someone was going to be all in. It actually checked all the way round to Mattila, last to act, who made the move. Mizzi looked like he had given up the minute his large preflop re-raise got so much action, and passed, as did everyone but Eric Rabl who moved in over the top for 8,175 (Mattila's stack was 3,450). Raul Paez thought about taking both all-in players on but eventually passed flashing the and another low one.
Mattila:
Rabl:
Turn and river: ... bringing the flush for Rabl and a very large pot indeed. His stack vying for the top spot at just under 40k. Someone else noted, "No one had a pair.." which was the case on the flop for the two all-in-ers. Who needs a pair?
. Seed check from UTG+1 then called a 1,450 bet which amounted to a third of his remaining stack. The river came 
and Gryko set his opponent all-in. Call.
but was behinf to Seed who flopped the nuts with 
. Seed back up to 10,000 and Gryko's slips a little to 26,000.
, but failed to improve against Stein's 
on the 
river. Another one down - expect action to speed up throughout the second half of the day.
flop and it checked around to Nevanlinna, who bet 600. Racener folded but Soulier raised; the two agreed to get all the chips in (Nevanlinna didn't have many) and they turned the cards over.
for top two pair
...
bringing the flush for Rabl and a very large pot indeed. His stack vying for the top spot at just under 40k. Someone else noted, "No one had a pair.." which was the case on the flop for the two all-in-ers. Who needs a pair?